Rachel A. Brown Named Head of George Washington University’s Career Services

WASHINGTON—Rachel A. Brown has been named the inaugural assistant provost for university career services at the George Washington University following a national search. Ms. Brown will provide strategic leadership, direction and oversight for the university’s career services for students, alumni and employers. She will assume her new role on Feb. 6.

“After extensive planning and a competitive national search, we are excited to have Rachel Brown join us at GW to lead this critical initiative designed to better serve the needs of our students and alumni, and harness all of our career resources campus wide," said Peter Konwerski, GW senior associate provost and dean of student affairs. "Rachel is the perfect person to lead this critical strategic priority given her strong grasp of the employment landscape at a number of exceptional higher education institutions, her extensive insights into the essential career development tools students and alumni need to be successful, and her extensive background in designing programs to enhance specialized employer services, which will no doubt serve our students and alumni well as they embark on their careers."

At the direction of George Washington President Steven Knapp and Provost Steven Lerman and with the full support and engagement of the university’s Board of Trustees, GW is in the midst of a multi-year, multi-faceted university-wide Career Services Enhancement Initiative. The goal of the initiative is to build a distinguished, university-wide career culture and strengthen connections between the university’s career services efforts and GW faculty, academic advisors, parents, alumni and employers. Among the components of the initiative is the creation and appointment of the assistant provost for university career services, a new senior administrative position, to oversee the central GW Career Center and coordinate among the school and unit-based career services operations as chair and convener of the university’s Career Services Advisory Council.

“I am thrilled to be joining the rich history and academic excellence of the George Washington University,” said Ms. Brown. “The university-wide commitment to the Career Services Enhancement Initiative underscores GW’s position as an ambitious, forward-looking institution. I was blown away during my on-campus interviews as it became apparent that GW's commitment to this initiative is very real. It is an honor to be selected as the assistant provost for university career services and have the opportunity to work collaboratively across the university to provide the highest quality and level of innovative, intentional career services for all GW students.”

Ms. Brown currently serves as the senior director of Temple University’s Career Center, where she has led comprehensive career and professional development services for the university’s more than 38,000 students and 280,000 alumni. She also served in a variety of career services roles at The University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business; Georgetown University; University of Pennsylvania; and Stanford University as well as in a variety of corporate human resources roles.Ms. Brown earned a master’s degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree from Bucknell University.

In the heart of the nation's capital with additional programs in Virginia, the George Washington University was created by an Act of Congress in 1821. Today, GW is the largest institution of higher education in the District of Columbia. The university offers comprehensive programs of undergraduate and graduate liberal arts study, as well as degree programs in medicine, public health, law, engineering, education, business and international affairs. Each year, GW enrolls a diverse population of undergraduate, graduate and professional students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and more than 130 countries.